Hamilton Plaza Drops Affiliation

May 10, 1985|by TED MELLIN, The Morning Call

Operators of the Hamilton Plaza have decided to divorce the hotel from the Best Western reservation system after a six-month marriage.

Raymond E. Holland, president, and T. Anthony Iannelli, vice president and general manager of the Allentown hotel, said yesterday they can get along well without Best Western and, therefore, will drop the nationwide reservation system.

"We are finding that as the hotel continues to increase in occupancy occupancy is through the participation of the local business community," Iannelli explained.

"About 95 percent of our guests are from business and commerce. We have found that our marketing and sales staff have generated 97 percent of all the guests.

"We are finding that the identity of the Hamilton Plaza is not necessarily consistent with the Best Western concept. We are a destination- orien ted hotel for commercial travelers. In most cases, Best Western is a roadside hotel reservation system with the emphasis on tourists."

Iannelli said he believes the small percentage of guests that will be lost by dropping Best Western can be made up by expanding the hotel's sales staff and retaining a commitment to be an independent hotel.

"We found we have been well accepted by the corporate community and we want to expand on the theme of being an independent hotel," he added.

He noted that the hotel had an average daily occupancy of 61 percent in April, which was "well ahead of our projection."

The hotel recently won approval from the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board to install three new signs containing the Best Western logo on the building, but they were not put up. Iannelli said there is no need to changing two signs now but plans are to install a message center at the corner of 4th and Hamilton streets.